Trailblazing women at work

This week, a documentary about Helen Thomas is premiering on HBO. You may not instantly recognize her name, but if you have seen a presidential press conference in the last 50 years, you know exactly who she is. She has become renowned for her coverage of Washington politics, and has served as a role model for countless other journalists.

Thomas is just one of a number of women who have broken through the glass ceilings of their industries or reshaped the way we think about women working in those fields.  Here are some other trailblazers:

Katharine Graham: Graham was the publisher of the Washington Post and her autobiography “Personal History” is not only her story, but a fascinating snapshot of how women and their professional roles changed in her lifetime. Graham was initially relegated to the sideline of the Post, a newspaper owned by her family. But after the death of her husband, Graham ascended to power and made history with the paper and its coverage of the Pentagon Papers and Watergate.

Mary Wells: “Mad Men” may be just a television show about advertising in the 1960s, but Wells lived it. She was one of the first women in the industry to rise to a leadership role. She founded Wells Rich Greene, the ad agency that was responsible for some memorable campaigns and catchphrases like “Friends don’t let friends drive drunk” and “plop plop fizz fizz.”

Shirley Chisholm: Hillary Clinton may have run a hard-fought campaign for president earlier this year, but she was not the first woman to run for that office. Chisholm ran for president in 1972 and was the first African-American woman to do so. She was also the first African-American woman elected to Congress. Chisholm served seven terms in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Meg Whitman: Until recently, Whitman was the CEO of eBay, and one of the management leaders who came to prominence in the field of Internet commerce. Whitman was part of a 1990s wave of women in corporate management who were named CEOs of their companies. During her tenure at eBay the company enjoyed growth and stability.

Lucille Ball: We all know and love Lucy as a classic comedienne, but Ball was also a shrewd businesswoman. She formed Desilu Productions with then-husband Desi Arnaz and the company was a trailblazer in television production. While starring on her own TV show in the 1960s, Ball was also president and CEO of Desilu – - a notable feat considering that few women are in leadership roles at film studios today.

Oprah Winfrey:  Like Lucille Ball, Winfrey is a popular entertainer who also leads an enormously successful business empire. Winfrey is the president of Harpo Productions, which oversees the development and production of TV shows and films. In addition to her talk show, Winfrey and her company publish a monthly magazine. She was the co-founder of the Oxygen cable network and has published several books.

These are just a few examples of women who have redefined leadership roles in their fields. We would love to hear who you would like to see included on this list!

And you may want to check out our recent survey that discusses how female workers responded to questions about gender in the office.